Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Ciudad Guayana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Guayana: $685 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Ciudad Guayana

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Ciudad Guayana

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio de Janeiro and in Ciudad Guayana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $685 in Ciudad Guayana.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Ciudad Guayana $685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,163 in Ciudad Guayana.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Ciudad Guayana $1,163

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,640 in Ciudad Guayana.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Ciudad Guayana $1,640

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 88% more expensive than in Ciudad Guayana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Ciudad Guayana 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$9.30 VES 8,164

8.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$39.68 VES 34.8K

1.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$14.29 VES 12.5K

-40.17%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.43 VES 3,013

-30.61%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.52 VES 1,335

5.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.03 VES 903

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.01 VES 891

144.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$1.96 VES 1,722

88.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.85 VES 1,622

-35.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.97 VES 852

83.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.02 VES 900

56.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.07 VES 2,694

-41.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$3.04 VES 2,669

-65.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.05 VES 1,803

-62.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.46 VES 1,286

-54.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$3.97 VES 3,489

-24.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$0.92 VES 806

29.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$1.96 VES 1,721

28.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.61 VES 532

62.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$30.54 VES 26.8K

64.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$4.53 VES 3,977

-73.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.94 VES 3,456

-76.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.49 VES 426

165.31%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.9K R$121.0K

$40.8K VES 35.8M

-41.43%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.9K R$166.6K

$69.5K VES 61.1M

-52.75%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$133 R$676

$39.72 VES 34.9K

235.85%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.82 R$54.8

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$15.03 VES 13.2K

52.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$42.88 VES 37.6K

-28.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$17.80 VES 15.6K

78.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.95 VES 6,983

1.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$598 R$3,029

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$30.19 VES 26.5K

39.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$34.35 VES 30.2K

44.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$179 VES 157.0K

-58.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$98.7 VES 86.7K

-30.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$153 VES 133.9K

492.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$98.7 VES 86.7K

436.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$399 VES 349.9K

232.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$252 VES 221.0K

200.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$259 VES 227.4K

1448.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$129 VES 112.9K

1113.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$110 VES 96.7K

480.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-52.28%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Guayana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Ciudad Guayana

–

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Ciudad Guayana

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Ciudad Guayana

–

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Ciudad Guayana

–

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Ciudad Guayana

–

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Ciudad Guayana

–

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Ciudad Guayana

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $153 in Ciudad Guayana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 481% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $40.00 in Ciudad Guayana. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $84.0, with Ciudad Guayana cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇻🇪 Ciudad Guayana

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

820,780

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Ciudad Guayana 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Ciudad Guayana

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Rio de Janeiro vs Ciudad Guayana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Ciudad Guayana differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $685 including rent). Ciudad Guayana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 481% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $153 in Ciudad Guayana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ciudad Guayana – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Ciudad Guayana runs roughly 64% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $685 in Ciudad Guayana versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad Guayana but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad Guayana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ciudad Guayana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.